The Greater Fool

For my open RNY I had a drain, and I had 2 after my abdominoplasty. O my gawd, in both surgeries I was stapled from stem to stern and it was the drain sites that killed me. Evil things drains are. 10 days of evil. Worse, the tape around where the drains came out wouldn't stick, so the drain kept pulling against the incision. I got super surgical tape and it wouldn't stick. Nothing rational would stick. In frustration I tried duct tape. Thank you duct tape. Once I found the duct tape, is was easy to keep the drain from pulling. Just thinking of it now makes the memory of the pain better. Fortunately, having learned duct tape worked so well after the RNY I had it ready for the TT. Good luck and remember: This too shall pass. Tek

You know, if you eat healthy and never over eat then the VSG won't do much for you. The whole point of the VSG is to keep you from overeating which you don't do. Odd, that. But, it makes me wonder why you took exception to the whole NO starches thing. Again, a healthy eater would understand those issues. Oh well, you have it under control. Good luck, Tek

So, how good were you pre-op at 'making healthy choices?' I'm betting not great since you had the VSG. Before you get to far along you really need to educate yourself on what 'healthy choices' actually means. You also need to focus on the volume of those healthy choices. I mean, sure, it would be great if my surgeon told me I just needed to make good choices. But, he grasped that perhaps I didn't know and/or I would rationalize what I wanted. The Doc that told you NO Rice, NO pasta, NO bread, NO crackers, NO sugar is dead on. Unless you can explain how those actually are "healthy choices?" Those "NO" foods are the BEGINNING of healthy choices. Why your laid-back Doc would think we know what 'healthy choices' are escapes me. The other Doc is the one you want to listen to, if your goal is to lose weight and keep it off. Really, it's all up to you and what you want. Choose wisely. Good Luck, Tek

You say you are able to eat more than you should. There is only one way you can know this and that is you are eating more than you should. You are not compelled to eat until you can't eat. As time moves on the more you eat the more you will be able to eat. So, focus on your plan. Only put the volume of food on your plate that your plan calls for. Choose wisely and keep your volume where it should be. The VSG only get's you so far, the rest is up to you. These first months you are relearning new habits. Be sure you learn the correct habits. Success is up to you. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations! Keep it up. Tek

Welcome to the forums. Wow, aren't you having a rough time. First of all, don't give up. You can't give up. It's up to you to take care of you and advocate for you. You need to be the squeaky wheel. Stop going to the Docs telling you to live with it. I can't believe any doctor would say this. It seems they are more focused on not being blamed than fixing the problem(s). Find new Docs that will work to figure this out. In fact, I would get a set of Docs that can review what has been done and how your surgeries may have contributed. A lot of new information has come out about ulcers in recent years. Make sure you get a Doc that is up on it. I am not a Doc. I believe there is a solution out there. You need to believe it too. You may not be getting good results from the Dilaudid. It is time released and those don't always work so well for Bypass folks. It's a MAYBE thing, so if you feel it's working ignore this. Did you have any of these issues before you had surgery? Where are the ulcers? Are they in the bypassed stomach? In the pouch? In the intestines? Educate yourself so you can challenge your Docs. Look at any over the counter drugs you may be taking. Some OTC drugs contain things that might be problematic for Bypass folks. Such as NSAIDs. Look at OTC things that contain multiple ingredients, check each active ingredient. Check the side effects. If you haven't started already, log your food and drink. Time, quantity, location, company, mental attitude. There may be a connection the Docs can make between your log and your symptoms. Again, if you give up you can't find a solution. You must keep going, keep working at it, keep advocating for you. If you don't do it, who will? Good luck, Tek

Congratulations on making it through surgery. Stay focused and stay on plan. In the first few months its almost impossible not to lose weight. Whether you stay on plan or not, whatever you do you are getting the feedback of losing weight. You are building what will be your new habits. Make sure they are the right habits. You will need them. Good luck, Tek

Really, all those questions are best directed to your Doc who can provide actual answers that apply to you and your situation. Good luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums. Mostly wanted you to know you're not being ignored. I haven't had similar or comparable experiences. But, if your surgeon and PCP are on board I think you will be OK. I'm a few short years shy of 68. If I had to have my RNY again I'd do it in a heartbeat. If the surgeon is on board, and all the tests they do to make sure you can make it through surgery come back OK, then I think you'll be OK. Shedding those extra pounds will make your many remaining years easier. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations! Awesome job. Tek

Welcome to the forums. You face the same issues and challenges we all did. You face the same options. At 23 weight loss surgery wasn't even on my radar. If I considered it at all I would have rejected the idea. Once I did hear about it I was completely opposed to it until I was 43. I believed I could do it on my own as laughable as that idea was. Then, WLS information came at me sideways and I realized it could be for me. The rest is WLS history, I am the stuff of legends now. WLS if done correctly is for the rest of your life. This means your new food plan, whatever it is, is forever. If you are thinking that once you lose your weight you'll be able to return to 'normal' eating then know that your 'normal' life now would come with it. Eventually, you will be able to eat anything once in a while. Unless you've learned your good habits in the weight loss phase, you'll return to your old habits if you are not very careful. Be sure you are ready for the commitment. Good luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums. You need to stick with your program. If you are worried about stretching your pouch then you already know you could be doing better on that score. There is nothing someone here is not eating and in volumes too large for a sustainable plan. But, you also don't know if they are going to be successful at losing and/or keeping their weight off. You need to work your plan the way you know you should. You are building your habits that you will need for the rest of your life. I'm 17+ years post-op. I never cared what other people could or couldn't eat. You can do it. Really. Good luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums. Don't think of whatever you do until you get your revision as a diet. You and I know that diets don't work. Think of it as your new eating plan that you will do for the rest of your life. Your band restricted portion size. Presumably you also had an eating plan to go with the smaller portion size. Return to the plan and return to portion size as best you can. Your plan was supposed to be for the rest of your life so get back on board. Your insurance is as likely to pay for your revision as it would if you never had surgery in the first place. Do the best you can. If you give up on your plan until you have surgery, well, then you very well may gain your weight back. Good luck, Tek

I'm a little late to the party, but... Return to your plan. Returning to plan isn't sexy, it isn't fast, but you already know it works. You already know dieting doesn't. Diet's end then you return to bad habits. Your plan is forever. Good luck, Tek

I can imagine having surgery postposed at the 11th hour is frustrating. But, it's certainly better that they caught this issue now than at some future moment that might have been problematic. Life has added a bunch of complications these days. We just need to remember that 2020 trying to screwing with everyone. We can't give up, we just have to keep moving forward. Nothing has changed about why you decided to do this. It's still a good decision. Don't let 2020 beat you. Good luck, Tek

You may be experiencing nerves. Maybe not. Maybe you are taking a well deserved final look at where you are and where you want to be and how you want to get from here to there. Having your innards rearranged is a drastic step so it's in your best interest to ensure you've exhausted all the non-surgical options. Either way you go it still comes down to you. Either way, you will need to follow a pretty strict food plan. It's a plan you will need to maintain for the rest of your life. What about VSG will make it more likely that you will be able to maintain your new healthy lifestyle? You must look into yourself with an honest assessment. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations! Tek

I would go with what your Doc says. Of course, that's what I always say. What *we* do isn't important. Honest, it isn't. If what we do mattered then there would be nothing you couldn't eat post-op. Between all of us post-ops, there is nothing we haven't eaten. Oh, it's just _____ once in a while. This logic makes everything OK whenever. Stay on plan as consistently as you can for as long as you can. Good luck, Tek

It's important to eat to plan, even if you don't feel inclined to do so. First, eating to plan is healthier than not eating or not eating to plan. It's almost impossible to not lose weight in the first few months. Whatever you do or don't do during this period is being connected in the deep, dark recesses of our mind to weight loss. Eat to plan, eat horrible foods, don't eat, over eat, whatever, it becomes what your mind associates with success. You really want this connection to be with "eating to plan". Make good choices now. Then it's easier to keep making good choices later. Good luck, Tek

You are literally putting your life in the hands of your Doc. Proceed with caution. I've never heard of patients being consulted on such things, but that doesn't mean much as I haven't been all that interested in current WLS practices. I honestly can't figure how a patient can have any sort of meaningful input on this. The Doc has performed hundreds if not thousands of surgeries and have been intimately involved in follow-up of said surgeries. They would have the information and experience with their surgery that no one else possesses. I can only relate this to my work. I'm a well regarded professional at what I do, I've been doing it for 45 years. My clients hire me because of my education and experience. Like most professionals, I love being second guessed. Nothing tells me to drop a client quicker than for them to solicit my expertise only to ignore it because they read something by a random person on the internet. If you don't trust your Doc to make the best choices, then hire one you will trust. [Rhetorical 'you' throughout here] Good luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums and to the post-op side of things. I went for the most flavorful food I could find. We may not be able to have big meals, but we can have big flavor. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations on waking up. Pain is certainly no fun. Keep making a lot of noise about your pain. Suffering quietly is over rated, and it doesn't get you pain meds. You are your advocate. Keep advocating. It's amazingly horrible that in this day and age the pain of some groups of people is stupidly minimized. Don't let them do it to you. Hang in as best as you can, knowing you have folks rooting for you. Tek

Welcome to the forums. Talk to your Doc. Tek

Congratulations. Stop experimenting and stick to your plan. It's difficult to not lose weight in the first few months. So, you can keep experimenting with foods you shouldn't be eating *or* you can stick to plan consistently and you will lose weight either way. You are conditioning yourself. What I eat, how much I eat now = weight loss. You are building your new habits now. Are you building the habits that will get you to goal and keep you there? I know I'm being "that person" but I've been around for a minute. I've seen the "I can eat anything" posts too often followed up a few months later with "I've stopped losing weight, what do I do?" By time it gets here it's too late. It's back at "I can eat anything" that the change needs to happen. Focus on your plan now. You can eat anything you want, in moderation, later. Honest. Good luck, Tek

Congratulations. Do your research on all the surgical options. Understand each surgery, the positives and negatives, the post-op plans, and why each surgery is or is not for you. Do it again, this time pay special attention to horror stories. They could happen to you. What would you do if it happened to you? Make sure you understand your surgeon's plan. This plan is for the rest of your life, so you need to ask yourself: Is it sustainable. Be honest. Listen to your surgeon. LISTEN. Make sure you understand. You are your best advocate, so challenge the Doc. Ask questions about complication rates. Ask about the plan: Why this plan? Why this way? What are the underlying principles. This may sound like a lot, and it is. We're talking about a life changing decision. You won't have a problem hearing the good news. Focus on the bad news. Make sure you understand the bad news, and prepare for the bad news. Good luck. Tek